


Of Flapples and Eggs and A Plan

by hoenns_fool (hazel_almira)



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Applin madness, F/M, First Post, First x reader, Gen, I am a hopeless romantic and it shows, I die like a man, I haven't even played the gAME YET, I was just really bored, M/M, Professor in training Hop, ah yes yet another Applin fic, i have no clue what i'm doing, pfft imagine proofreading, please, pokemon breeder reader, reader is pretty gender neutral, these tags are a mess, this is gonna be Subpar at best, x reader fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:35:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22919305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazel_almira/pseuds/hoenns_fool
Summary: The Reader, who is a pokemon breeder, decides to use an Applin as a way to confess. When it doesn't go as planned they have to take things into their own hands (well, Sonia helps a lot).alt. summary: Hop is dense, the reader is smitten, and Sonia decides that Hop needs to get out of the lab more often.I am a mess and bad at this, sorry in advance.
Relationships: Hop & Sonia (Pokemon), Hop (Pokemon) & Reader, Hop (Pokemon)/Reader
Comments: 17
Kudos: 88





	1. Of Flapples

**Author's Note:**

> When you get bored so your first reaction is to write a fanfiction for a fandom that you can barely consider yourself in and use characters that you only very vaguely know : )

"I know I don't usually ask you to do this for me, Flapple, but I swear it's for a good and legitimate cause!" you told the apple-shaped dragon. She simply sat in the grass of the main yard before you began bothering her, almost "full apple" as you liked to call it. The red shell of her wings and cap shone brightly in the sunlight, but her seed-shaped yellow eyes looked completely unimpressed with your request. She turned her chubby-cheeked face away from you in defiance. You drug your hands from your bandanna in your hair down your face with a groan.

"Flaps. I'm begging you on my hands and knees, " you stress your position, "Our usual Appletun is out for the count and you're my last shot. Pretty Please?"

The creature continued to look at you with disinterest. Shifting until her back was facing you she showed just how little she cared for your trouble. You continued to bombard her with whispers of "please" until she extended her rounded wings and began bobbing away. Which, of course, in response, you jumped up after her to stand in front of her.

"C'mon Flaps! It's for love! Real true love! I can feel it! You love, well, love don't you?" you cry in dismay.

The dragon rolled her eyes and let out a snuff at your antics. She turned in the opposite direction to escape your insistent babbling. With one step you were back in front of Flapple's flight path. She huffed in frustration and hovered in front of your face, considering blowing a small puff of Dragon Breath into it.

"Please," you begged desperately, "I'll give you an extra big curry portion all week!"

The pokemon's eyes seem to spark with interest for a second, but overall she remained unconvinced. She looked at you practically saying "not quite enough". You placed your hands on your hips and sighed, "Two weeks?", no change, "Fine! A whole month! Just please help me!"

Your fingers crossed as the bobbing apple dragon in front of you considered your bribe. You could practically see the little gears spinning in her tiny head. It was agonizing and frankly, embarrassing. To have so much invested in a creature that looked like fruit and spent her days sitting in the grass doing nothing but, well, whatever she does. It was absurd, in the least. Yet here you are crumpling in relief as the little stem-like horn on Flaps' head dips down to give her version of a handshake. 

You gently grab it and follow her head in an up-down motion. You thanked her over and over again. Even going as far as to feed her one of the tart apples she so treasured. Smugness practically radiated off of the little dragon. She was going to be the most spoiled pokemon in the yard for the next month and she embraced it.

As you ran off to find her a breeding partner for her your smile grew. Phase one of your plan was leaving the metaphorical station.

~~~

As a pokemon breeder, sometimes you get contracted by professors to help out with research on genetics. Mostly in the areas of what affects IVs and why exactly shinies have different colors than that of their species. You were fairly new to the team so for your first few months you served as a glorified errand runner while you studied to earn your certification.

Your first "mission" was to deliver a few dynamax-capable pokemon to a Professor Sonia in Wedgehurst. You entered the lab and were immediately greeted by thousands of books. Most were on the shelves that lined the walls, but there were a good few stacked beside a short couch. A few desk-like tables also had books and papers strewn all over them. Pushed to the side in between then was a whiteboard. Written haphazardly at the top and underlined several times was "DYNAMAX VS GIGANTAMAX". What seemed like dozens of disorganized bullet points and notes were littered underneath the heading. 

"Hello?" You called out through the seemingly empty building, "Professor Sonia? Are you here?"

You heard some shifting about and a particularly loud thud, but no one appeared. So you try again, "Professor? I'm from the breeders? I have the pokemon you requested?"

You begin moving more towards the staircase that you assumed lead up to a living space. Your foot was placed on the first step, hand on the railing. A loud bleat from behind you startles you, so you whip around to find a Dubwool looking up at you with skeptical eyes. You sigh in relief and bend down to pet the Dubwool's soft fleece. You run your hands along the ridges of its horns and rub its cheeks as you admire its well-kept fur. 

"Well hello there," you sweetly whisper to the creature as you continue petting it, "you wouldn't happen to be Professor Sonia would you?"

The ball of fleece lets out a satisfied bleat and shakes its head in a "no" motion. You let out a giggle that you hide behind your palm. You stand up laying a palm on the top of its large grey collar of neck fur. Continuing to gently rub it you ask, "No? You couldn't happen to let me know where the professor is, could you?"

"She's out right this minute," Another voice suddenly says from above you. It's a guy, about your age, shrugging into a wrinkled lab coat and with crooked glasses balancing on his nose. He hops down each of the stairs as he adjusts his coat and glasses to look presentable.

"Oh," was all you seemed to be capable of saying as he ran a tanned hand through his violet hair. His eyes sparkled from the smile that danced onto his face. You felt your mouth quirk up at the edges, his smile was infectious, apparently.

He put a hand behind his neck and sheepishly smiled, "Sorry that it took me so long to get down here, in between you and me, I was asleep."

You laughed, not at him but at how cute he seemed, "Long night?"

"Yeah," he chuckled extending a hand for you to shake, "I'm Hop, being a professor in training especially under Sonia isn't as easy as it sounds. "

"Neither is being a pokemon caretaker and breeder, I'm (y/n)," You introduce, you take the hand from the Dubwool and extend it to him, the begun to dig through your bag, "I assume that being a professor in training gives you clearance to take deliveries for the Professor, huh?"

"I suppose so (y/n)," He chortled. You liked the way that your name rolled off of his tongue. He paid close attention to your movements, anticipating impatiently the pokemon you carried for their research. It made your heart skip, you blamed it on anxiety.

You pull out two pokeballs to hand over to the young almost-professor with a smile. Your hands brushed as he took the two eagerly from you. He was already smiling like a madman about the two. He began to practically shake in excitement as he looked them over he tried to open them in a rush.

"They're two fairly big boys, even for an Orbeetle and a Snorlax. So I'd let them out in a place where you don't chance them breaking something, " you laugh, placing your hands over his to prevent him from pressing the buttons to let the two beasts out.

That sheepish face returned and he blushed, "Ah, you're right mate. We should take this outside, yeah?"

"Oh, so this is an 'us' thing now?" You asked with a smirk, savoring the idea of spending more time with the young professor. You had to admit, he was growing on you. It was probably his infectious happiness and an adorable smile. 

He noticed what he said and turned a bit red, "Ah, well I thought you would like to y'know say goodbye or something to them. Since you raised 'em 'n all, make sure they're in good hands."

"You're so thoughtful Hop," You gush, "But I didn't really raise them, I'm just an errand boy for now. I'm in training to become a breeder, just like you are to become a professor!"

"Oh! Really?" he asks, seeming pleasantly surprised seeing as his smile miraculously widened, "then I hope that we can grow into our jobs together mate!"

Dubwool bleated in between the two of you begging for attention. You both burst out laughing. Your hand sunk back into Dubwool's fleece as you watched Hop's eyes crinkle with laughter. You hadn't noticed until now that they were a deep yellow, the color of thick honey. Your heart twanged. A seed of adoration, a tiny crush, had been planted in your heart.

~~~

With every small delivery of more "ordered" pokemon, that seed sprouted more and more until you felt like a huge rose of love was wrapped around your heart. You were completely infatuated with the young Professor Hop. You volunteered every single time to deliver to the small lab in Wedgehurst and even met the infamous Professor Sonia. Hop was the only thing that you could focus on and it was beginning to affect your work. You nearly let a Ryhorn loose because you were daydreaming about how it would feel to be in his arms. You began to devise a plan to confess, and solve your problem.

It all started with an Applin, the pokemon known to be a traditional symbol of everlasting love. That's how you spent the next few days you pampering the smug Flapple know as Flaps. Her partner that you picked out for the time was a smaller, far more awkward Flapple called Munchi, and he got a more diluted version of the same special treatment. The fact that Flaps was so satisfied with herself irritated you, but your mind was more set on your goal: getting that Applin.

"Here you go you, little princess," you said through gritted teeth as you placed a heaping plate of curry in front of Flaps. You could swear that she was smirking at you. You shook your head and went on to serve the rest of the pokemon in the yard. After cleaning up your curry pot and utensils you went inside the daycare building. Pulling out your copy of "Pokemon Breeding for Dummies" you began to study.

A loud thunk, sounded on the window right beside you. You look up and go to check outside your window for any stunned flying types. Instead, you find Munchi, shaking his head before beeping in your direction.

"You okay there chap?" you ask him, getting closer. He quickly rolled back upright and spread his wings to bob away from you rather quickly. You looked at the pokemon in confusion. He turned back as if to check if you were following. Upon discovering that you weren't, he beeped at you again and tossed his head imitating a "follow me" gesture. So as anyone with any lick of sense would, you followed him.

He leads you to what appeared to be a nest, in the center was another Flapple (who you assume is Flaps) gone full apple. Munchi bumped her gently with his head, and she began to move. Her wings unfolded and head rose, showing off the green spotted egg she surrounded with a proud look on her face. 

You couldn't resist the smile breaking out on your face, "You cheeky bugger."


	2. Of Eggs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The joys and pains of hatching an egg (or rather, several eggs)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had planned on posting a chapter last Thursday, but instead, I got a huge mess of random different tangents that was absolutely revolting to read. As well as a word count waaaaaayyyy below my personal goal of 2,000. Sorry in advance, this is mostly filler :]

Bonding between trainer (or in this case breeder) and other pokemon is a must in hatching eggs, you read. So naturally, you thought, the quickest and most productive way of hatching an egg is to take it with an entire fleet of others. Another trick you had picked up from your textbooks was to accompany them with pokemon honing a Flame-Body ability to speed the process up even more. Hence why when the daily chores were dealt out among the apprentices and veteran workers, you were quite enthusiastic to volunteer for Hatching duty. Now you were beginning to regret that decision. You could swear up and down that you had been across the entire Galar region multiple times before the first egg even so much as cracked.

It was exhausting, to say the very least. In your eagerness to hatch an Applin you overlooked the fact that you did have to hatch all the eggs for the center, not just yours. The bag they gave you was huge and it was full of Pokemon eggs, each individually nestled in an incubation case to keep them from colliding and cracking prematurely. In the center of them was the Coalossal, who was loaned to you by a veteran breeder, radiating heat in its own pokeball to help speed up the incubation process. The added weight on your back had you taking huffing breaths with every step. You thought of how much faster this day would go if you could walk at your normal speed even with the hulking bag.

It was late evening now and the sun was beginning to set. As you wiped the sweat from your (s/c) brow you decided to take a break from your trek. You had been walking in circles for what seemed like forever. After all, you did only take short breaks for lunch at a small cafe and to rest your legs halfway through the evening. You set the bag down on the grass gently as to not harm the eggs. You roll out your shoulders and stretch out your back, releasing the stress of a whole day walking. At least this is the last batch of the day, you thought, and this set has a certain egg that you have been waiting very patiently to roost. When it finally hatched, it would make the thousands of miles you had walked today worth it.

With a weight lifted off of your shoulders (quite literally), you collected berries and put them into your own personal bag to take back to the center for curries and tucking the rarer berries away for planting in your own personal garden. You would often get carried away with shaking the berry trees and have a rather ticked wild pokemon drop down when daydreaming of that lovely little red Applin popping out of that green dappled shell. You had always wanted a pokemon of your own but you hadn't gotten one quite yet. You wanted to raise it up from an egg so it could feel more attached to you, and so far none brought into the yard had caught your eye. There was always the option of catching one in the wild area, but you thought it more sentimental to raise your own. 

You plopped down on the soft grass of the hill next to the bag. You dug through it to fish out the Coalossal, letting it out. The creature let out a roar and thumped onto the ground. As it turned, you sheltered your face from the scorching heat coming from its whole body. You waved it off for some leisure time since it had been stuck in that cramped pokeball for the better portion of the day.

The bag began to rattle back and forth. Your attention snapped from the frolicking fire type to ripping open the bag in excitement. The egg quivers in your hands as you pry it from the incubation case. Placing it in the grass you encourage it to hatch with your own wiggling. You cheered it along with impatient ramblings. With every new crack, the anticipation built until with a final push the baby pokemon burst out of its shell. Its two leaf-like eyes blinking at you.

You sat in shock for a moment until your smile grew uncontrollable. With a laugh, you scooped up the fruit-shaped baby and spun it around. Admiring its shiny red exterior you exclaim, "You are absolutely perfect! Gorgeous! Superb little baby!"

You let it nuzzle your hand and scratches behind its eyes. Smile never leaving your face. Your heart was fluttering in adoration for this new little creature. With one arm curled around the Applin, the other reached out to dig through your personal bag Grabbing the love ball that you bought specifically for it. You gave it one more "proud parent" look, gave its apple a peck on the head, and then tapped it with the pink pokeball.

You laugh again in glee and press the ball against your chest as you lay back into the grass. The giddy smile painted permanently on your face. Your stomach fluttered and you whispered to the sky, "One step closer."

The cry of the Coalossal drew your attention back to the large bag full of more pokemon eggs. The euphoria of your newly hatched Applin wore off. You sigh, tucking the Love ball into your personal bag, you brush your legs off. You still had four eggs left to hatch. You make a mental note to never volunteer for hatching duty ever again.


	3. Of The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the plan begins to finally unravel (and become a tangled mess)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got pokemon shield!! So I've been playing that instead of writing!! Sorry, but it should be more game accurate now!

Standing outside of the Professor's lab in Wedgehurst had anxiety crashing down on you worse than a rock slide. Your palms were sweaty as you fidgeted with the Love ball containing your gift of the Applin. Your stomach was past the point of just turning. It felt as though your throat had tied itself into a knot, trapping a storm of Butterfree in it. Your heart was pounding in your eardrums. In all of the months you had spent coming up with your grand plan ( How to Confess to Professor (In Training) Hop in a Cool, Casual, In-Character Way) you had never felt this nervous. It was strange how things worked like that. 

Your entire body was silent, and yet at the same time, it was screaming to do something. To move forward to bolt away, to do anything at all. But you remain frozen to your place in pure terror. Your mouth was dry and it was almost a burden to breathe. You took in a gulp of air preparing for your next actions. You had decided to turn tail and run.  
After all, your plan wasn't all that time-sensitive. You could wait one more day. Or perhaps a week, or a month, or even forever. It wasn't that big of a deal. You spun on your heel and began walking back towards the Center. 

"(Y/n)? What are you doing here?" you hear Sonia call from the now open doors into the lab.

You whip back around, quickly hiding the pokeball behind your back. A strained smile jerks to your face as you reply, "Oh! Sonia! Hello! I was just on a little bit of a walk. I wasn't expecting to see you here!"

Sonia arched an eyebrow at you, "This is my lab?"

"Oh yeah! Duh!" you laugh nervously smacking your face with your hand, "Well I have to get going. Away. From here, not that here isn't great! I just have to get back to the Nursery. I am a breeder, in training, and all."

You cringe deeply. That was the worst possible way you could have been "cool and casual". If Sonia didn't already think something was afoot since you had been standing outside her lab for a good twenty minutes, she diffidently did now.

"Wait!" Sonia called, "Come in for a cuppa. Hop and I could use a quick break. Besides, I think that Dubwool misses you."

Your throat contracted even further. You pushed down the knot, resulting in a voice crack, but mustered a choked response, "Sure, why not? I can spare a few minutes."  
You rush past her before she could ask any questions. Slipping the love ball clumsily into your small satchel and settling quickly into the couch that was still surrounded by books. Not much ever changed about the lab. Though it seemed like every time you were there, the whiteboard on the far side of the room had something different scribbled on it. Today it was "Gigatamax Capabilities" surrounded by what seemed to be a dozen question marks.

Yamper comes barreling through the lab, yapping excitedly and jumping at you. You laugh and ruffle his ears as you let him lick your palm. The static electricity radiating off of his fur made your arms tingle. It was soothing for being mildly electrocuted. Dubwool came over bumping your other hand for your attention. 

Though none of that mattered when Sonia and Hop came into the room from the loft. Both were carrying tea-time essentials. Hop was holding a neat stack of teacups in one hand and a small pot of cream in the other. He had his glasses perched inside the tangle of violet locks. His ever-present beaming smile seemed to be twice as bright and cause twice as much emotional distress as usual. You stiffen and clutch your hand into a tight fist buried in Dubwool's warm fleece. 

You had been casual with him hundreds of times before now. Before you decided to put The Plan in motion. You supposed that your increased stress was due to the risk you were running. After all, there was always the chance he could say no to your proposal. That would be absolutely mortifying. He would likely avoid you for the rest of time if he didn't like you back. Simply because he was polite enough to not embarrass you by staying in your presence.

Fate decided to be especially cruel to you today, and Hop's lap went ahead and plopped down on the couch next to you. Your fist ground into Dubwool's neck, earning a bleat from the creature, his head shaking your hand loose with annoyance. Mumbling a quiet apology to him you shifted your focus to becoming less stressed and gaining a more "normal" demeanor. 

"So how is the research going?" you ask releasing Dubwool to lay his head on Hop's lap. He was far too close. Or perhaps the couch was far too small you could feel his body heat. You could even smell the stupid hair gel he uses to keep his hair neat. It was so intoxicating, simply because it was just so Hop. 

"Fairly well, but god is it slow work" Sonia replied pouring tea into three separate cups. Taking hers and pushing the others in front of the two of you. As she settled into her chair she allowed Yamper to jump up and lay across her lap lazily. She rubbed his neck as it gently crackled with sparks. 

"I can imagine," you reply. You were far too nervous to make the usual snarky comment. Sonia already suspected something was up but this sent off a light red ping in her head.

Sonia dropped a sugar cube into her tea as she asks, "How is your training going (Y/n)?"

"It's going great," you say nursing your own teacup, "I'm taking the certification test soon."

"Really?" Hop exclaimed, "you're already a giant's leap ahead of me on the way to becoming a professional!"

You laugh at the excited way he was practically vibrating. He always had been great at encouraging you to do your best. His smile always made you strive to do even better in order to see it again. The way his golden eyes sparkled with pride made you feel like you could move mountains. No one else could ever make you feel that way, It was as if you were hardwired to only feel this way towards Hop. As if you were two halves of one whole. You shook your head and dismissed it as wishful blissful thinking.

You turned away and nonchalantly replied, "Yeah, I only just recently bred and hatched my first "solo" project. I hatched her for someone, so I don't get to keep her."

Sonia raised an eyebrow at this. You felt your face flush and quickly tried to hide from her gaze behind your cup. You were sure she was picking up your dropped hints. 

"Wow, " Hop responded in adoration, "your first pokemon usually means a lot to a trainer. And to be able to just give it away to someone? It's admirable."

Sonia's gaze was boring into you as she slyly added, "You must really like this person."

"Yeah, you could say that," you mumble.

Sonia smirked into her teacup. She had picked up on your little crush from the day she had met you. Of course, back then it was just a gut feeling, a hypothesis you could say. Over time she had gathered more evidence to prove it true. Just like a proper scientist should. She knew well enough that both you and Hop were oblivious lovebirds that just needed the right push, but she decided to step back. Let the two of you at least attempt something before she elbowed her way in.  
She determined that today, that attempted something was going to happen, and as much as she would like to witness it she decided to give the two of you some privacy. She cleared her throat and slowly stood up. Yamper leaped off her lap and spun around in electrified circles on the floor yapping. Dubwool lazily lifted his head to see what all the commotion was but quickly got disinterested and returned to his spot on the floor.

"I think I'm going to get more tea, anyone else want some while I'm up?" she asked innocently. She still had a minor smirk on her face. You nodded your head no to the offer, still holding the cup close to you. Hop extended his cup and his thanks to Sonia. Right before she disappeared up to the loft she threw you a wink and a thumbs up.

Traitor, you think in Sonia's direction. You were all alone with Hop (and a rather nosy Dubwool, you suppose) it was now or never. Never sounded nice. Never sounded safe. But 'now' seemed to be your only option because Sonia has a knack for spreading gossip like butter on a biscuit. You take a deep calming inhale and turn to look Hop directly in the eye.

"Hop," you say, voice faltering with nerves. 

"(Y/n)," He replied in a more teasing manner that caused your heart to do an impromptu backflip.

"Hop," you repeat more firmly. It's the same voice you use to break up a pair of brawling pokemon in the yard, "I brought something for you."

"What's the special occasion, mate? I don't recall it being my birthday," Hop chuckled watching you with curiosity.

You dig through your bag to find the love ball, but your hands seemed to keep slipping up and grabbing the wrong thing. You could feel his eyes on you, making your skin prickle. When you finally grasp the ball you push it into his hands. Quickly you recoiled t hide your embarrassment. Your heart was hammering in your chest. Your heartbeat thundered in your ears as adrenaline rushed your body. When you ventured to look at him, his eyes were sparkling in the same way they always were when you brought a new pokemon to the lab. 

He excitedly pressed the button to release the creature. The little Applin let out a grateful cry as it unfurled on the coffee table. Hop watched in pure glee as it rolled its way into his open arms. He cradled it with a smile wider than a Gengar and practically shouted, "Wicked! What's its name?"

"I called her Torte, but it's really up to you to give her a proper name," You mumble out, your face quite perfectly matching Torte's color.

"No! Torte is a perfect name for her," hop beamed, "What a beauty! I don't think I've ever seen an Applin in person. Is she Gigantamax capable? She could really help boost our research!"

Face still burning you laugh lightly, "When she evolves she should be capable of gigantamax. I'm just glad you like her, she was a rather hard egg to hatch."

"Like her?" Hop exclaims, "I bloody well love her! You're a top-notch friend (y/n)!"

Your heart stopped,. You went pale and your smile disappeared from your face completely. He didn't understand what the Applin meant. What the symbolism of this action represented. Some deep part of you was furious, all that hard work and this moron doesn't get what you're playing at? The most prominent feelings were those of disappointment and grief. 

"Friend?" you repeated. The knot in your throat had returned. Tears began to gather behind your eyes and you knew if you didn't leave now you would for sure break completely down. You stood up quickly, bumping into the table in the process. Dubwool let out a bleat of surprise. You flinched as it drew Hop's attention to your face. That almost hurt more than the already forming bruise on your leg, you felt physically sick watching his joyful face morph into a crumpled worried expression. 

"(y/n), mate, are you okay?" he asked in that sweet concerned voice. That made your chest compress even more. You felt like you were suffocating.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Right as rain. Just peachy," you croak out, the tears were drawing nearer.

"Are you sure?" Hop starts to reach out and comfort you but you jerk away.

You choke back tears speaking around the rock of sorrow you seemed to be swallowing, "Yes. Oh hey! Would you look at the time? I need to get back to the daycare center. Goodbye."

You swiftly leave the lab. Ignoring the many calls of your name and the clamor you assumed was Hop and Dubwool trying to follow you. You didn't turn back. You couldn't bear to look at him a second longer. You were already on the train when the tears finally started to fall.


	4. Of Plan B

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonia finally gets to meddle with her apprentice's relationship (alt: Hop realizes that he isn't as smart as he thought)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you thought you'd seen the last of me.   
> well, I lived bitch.

"Okay you two lovebirds, cut it out! I'm coming back down," Sonia jested as she made her way down the staircase with Yamper barking at her heels.

She was surprised when she was met with no one on the couch. Not even Dubwool made it a point to be seen. This made her frown. Hadn't that poor creature sat through enough of their sexual tension? They had left without even a shout to let her know? Perhaps they had their reasons, Sonia considered, a smirk rising to her face. She was smart, especially when it came to reading the mood of a room. She had noticed that you gravitated closer and closer to Hop's side with each visit to the small-town lab. She was also quick to notice the pink pokeball you held in your nervous hands today. She had reasoned that the mutual pining had finally come to an apex. 

"Professor!" Hop yelled, out of breath as he stumbled into the lab. His face was flushed, clothes and hair disheveled, and his glasses were nearly falling off the end of his nose. If it weren't for the look of great distress on his face, the young man looked as if he was just interrupted in the middle of the time of his life.

"Hop?" Sonia questions setting the two teacups onto the table, "What's wrong? Where's (y/n)?"

"I don't know what happened," Hop babbled, "one minute they gave me this, the next they were rushing out of here crying!"

Sonia's jaw hung slack. In his hand was the same pink love ball that you had been toying with all afternoon. She was honestly in shock that you had managed to give it to him. Her face scrunched up, "what did you say?"

Hop was frantically running his one hand through his hair. The other hand still clutching the love ball flailed, "All I said was thanks and how great of a friend they are for giving me their first pokemon."

Sonia visibly flinches. Youch, she thinks, friend-zoned. She continues her interrogation, "Well, what pokemon is it?"

Hop releases the pokemon onto the floor in front of him before continuing his mumbling into his hands. Torte, (the Applin) rolls about, she looks up at her trainer in distress. Dubwool quickly head bumps the fruit dragon to reassure it. 

Sonia feels a laugh bubble up in her throat before she could stop it, "You have got to be kidding, Hop. Even you couldn't be that dense."

"Sonia, please," Hop cries desperately, "This isn't the time to be joking."

The young professor feels as if she could scream, so she does, "Hop you dimwit! They like you! Like a lot! As in like-like!"

Hop freezes in place as if someone just flipped off his power switch. His face burst a violent shade of red. Sonia facepalmed as she saw the gears turning in his head and the steam starting to pour from her student's ears. 

"What?" was all that his embarrassed voice could muster, as his brain was currently short-circuiting. 

Sonia let out a loud groan, "Hop you are making it quite hard for me to believe that you have any capacity for romantic competence."

"Romantic comp-" Hop says in a confused tone, before a light bulb goes off above his head and it hits him, successfully reigniting his face, "They want to DATE me?"

"Hop are you completely daft?" Sonia yells, "They gave you the equivalent to the biggest milestone in their entire career, so far. In a godforsaken LOVE ball, and you can't put two and two together? And the cherry, or should I say apple, on top is that the pokemon that the, let me remind you, LOVE ball contained is only the region's most widely accepted symbol of everlasting love! One day, I swear the both of you are going to be the end of me!"

Once the gears stopped turning in Hop's head and the data synced up he grabbed two fistfuls of his hair, nearly knocking off his glasses in the process. He exclaims, "Oh god, this is all my fault! (Y/n) is never gonna come back! I'm such an idiot!"

Sonia pinched the bride of her nose. As Hop continued rambling off his woes, she was already devising a plan to get Hop to clear up the misunderstanding and confess. She sighs, "Hop, calm down."

Hop whips around, shocked and appalled, "Calm down? How can I 'calm down' after you told me that the person that I've been crushing on for almost a year likes me back."

"Hop," Sonia states sternly.

"AND on top of that, I was so dense that I basically REJECTED their confession! I feel like I'm dying Sonia"

"Hop!" Sonia repeats grabbing him by his shoulders to ensure he was looking into her eyes, "I have a plan, don't worry"

The professor-in-training blinked. Sonia had a certain sparkle in her eyes that made him somewhat nervous. He nodded with slight reluctance. It's not that he didn't trust Sonia with this, he knows that all the romance novels that she reads have to count for something. It was just his mind had already convinced him that he had messed up his relationship with the young caretaker beyond repair.

Sonia let the boy go and walked over to the whiteboard. She swiftly took the erasers and cleared off the question marks and graphs of Gigantamax. Of course, that stuff was important and technically their jobs, but there was a more pressing matter at hand. With a big red marker, she wrote 'Confession 101' in its place (she also doodled some hearts as well). She pointed at the title looking at her distressed pupil. She had finally gotten her chance to meddle in someone's love life, and by god, was she going to take it and run.

**Author's Note:**

> (edit 2/28/2020) I went in and did a smidge of editing because, turns out, running on one hour of sleep and pure adrenaline does not create good writing (grammatically speaking) so I hope its more legible now!


End file.
